The Extra Virgin Kitchen – The No.1 Bestseller E-Book

Susan Jane White

• Herausgeber: Gill Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

The No.1 bestselling cookbook from sassy food revolutionary Susan Jane White, full of seriously tasty recipes for high energy and glowing health, all free from wheat, dairy and refined sugar.When Irish food writer Susan Jane White was advised to stay away from wheat, dairy and refined sugar during a debilitating illness, her food future seemed bleak, bland and boring. So, drawing on her gastronomic background, she created seriously tasty recipes that didn't compromise her health. The result? Susan Jane's energy levels went through the roof and her friends and family began to look for her 'free-from' recipes whether or not they had intolerances.Packed with Susan Jane's delicious wheat-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free recipes and full of invaluable advice for anyone starting out on their own health journey, The Extra Virgin Kitchen is your ideal kitchen companion. Funny, informative and full of personality, The Extra Virgin Kitchen will change how you cook, eat and view food forever. Get ready to embrace healthy eating and nutritious cooking – with no sacrifice to fun or flavour!'If anyone ever needed proof that super-healthy food makes a huge difference to your energy levels, immune system and general vitality, then one look at the ever-effervescent Susan Jane White would tell you everything you need to know.' Bestselling chef Rachel Allen'Do you and your body a favour – read this book. Susan Jane White knows what's good for you and it doesn't hurt that she writes like a dream.' Róisín Ingle, The Irish Times'Hilariously written and filled with do-able and exciting new recipes.' Food writer and TV personality Donal SkehanAlso by Susan Jane White: The Virtuous Tart – Sinful but Saintly Recipes for Sweets, Treats and SnacksYou can watch Susan Jane in action on Jamie Oliver's Drinks Tube YouTube channel.

Leseprobe

The Extra Virgin Kitchen

Recipes for Wheat-free, Sugar-free and Dairy-free Eating

By Susan Jane White

GILL & MACMILLAN

Contents

COVER

TITLE PAGE

INTRODUCTION: FALLING DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

Nifty Q&As

Your Kitchen’s Artillery

IDEAS FOR BREAKFAST

The Only Granola Recipe You’ll Ever Need

Mango, Blackberry and Buckwheat Porridge

Metro Muesli with Chia Jam

Decent Millet Porridge and Apple Syrup

Double Decker Amaranth and Banana Pud

Chia and Chai Breakfast Pudding

Badass Breakfast Bars

High-octane Banana Nutmeg Flapjacks

Maple and Cardamom Peaches

6am Toddler Cookies

Sticky Cinnamon and Prune Cakes

Scrambled Tofu with Caramelised Onion and Shiitake Mushrooms

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Green Eggs

Miso Eggs and Soya Sauce

Millet and Chestnut Crêpes with Passionfruit Syrup

Smoked Salmon Blini with Healthier Hollandaise

Your New Wheat-free Bread

Rye Banana Bread with Homemade Nutella

Black Bread with Sun-dried Tomatoes

Multiseed Bread with Caraway Spice

SNACKS AND OTHER NUTRITIONAL HITS

Hot and Smoky Seeds

Office Bombs

Crispy Kale

Chia Bonbons

Barley Grass Balls

Dr Smoothie

Protein Grenades

Applesauce and Cinnamon Cookies

Spirulina Shots

Nut Milk

Strawberry and Banana Shoelaces

Buckwheat Pancakes

Superfood Spreads Brazil Nut Red Pesto

Dibis W’rashi

Masala Walnut Butter

Omega Parsley Butter

Fig and Sesame Butter

Sweet and Salty Chilli Sauce

Avonnaise

Homemade Nutella

Peanut Butter, Banana and Maple Spread

SOUPS

Lemongrass, Coconut and Sweet Potato Soup

Hitchcock and Nutmeg Soup

Roasted Garlic and Wild Nettle Soup

Picnic Gazpacho

Smoky Black Bean Soup

Chilled Avocado and Watercress Soup

90-Second Barley Miso Soup

Jewish Penicillin

SALADS

Spiraliser Recipes – Making Spaghetti from Courgettes

The Happy Courgette

Wasabi Pea Carbonara

Flaked Salmon with Spicy Pomegranate Noodles

Garlicky Tagliatelle with Black Olives and Pine Nut Ricotta

Red Pepper and Walnut (Muhammara) Noodles

Curly Carrots

Carrot Ribbons and Spring Pesto

Moon-dried Tomatoes and Sprouted Hummus

Irish Superfood Salad

Basil Butterbeans

Dining al Desko Beet Salad

‘F%*k Me’ Salad

Say Hello to Oprah’s Ocean Veg

Sesame Sea Salad

Sprouting – The Bean Zoo

Superman’s Salad

Nectarine and Little Gem Salad with Goji Berry Cream

Bond Girl Salad

Probiotic Celeriac Slaw

Curried Cauli, Banana and Spinach with Flaked Fish

Beginner’s Buckwheat with Grated Apple, Chilli and Pumpkin Seeds

SUPPERS

Brown Rice and His Cousins

Eggy Fried Rice

Buckwheat Crêpes with Pine Nut Ricotta and Spinach

Children’s Sticky Rice with Cauliflower Confetti

Snazzy Broccoli and Soba Noodles

Beginner’s Quinoa

Nothing-in-My-Cupboard Quinoa

Smoked Paprika and Cumin Quinoa

Harissa Quinoa with Roasted Lemon Fennel

Quinoa with Strawberry and Mint Gremolata

Kate Moss Quinoa

Children’s Quinoa

Basic Lentils

Maple Mustard Lentils

Pumpkin and Black Garlic Lentils

Tinned Sardines Five Ways

Mackerel Pâté with Anchovy Aioli

Baked Hake with Lemongrass Salsa

Simple Salmon with Asparagus Soldiers and Whipped Green Tea

Salmon Fishcakes with Curried Coconut Yoghurt

Chia Crab Cakes with Vietnamese Mint Dipping Sauce

Fish Fingers with Beetroot Ketchup

Chopped Herring and the Laureates

Sole and Satay

Coriander and Pomegranate Ceviche with Bowls of Floppy Fennel

Tomato and Banana Bean Curry

Centenarian’s Pineapple and Goji Berry Curry with Raita and Spinach

Pumpkin Falafel

Anti-inflammatory Aloo

Red Daal with Wilted Spinach and a Plump Poached Egg

Flash-fried Plaice with Pink Peppercorn Salt and Lemon Dust

Umami Beef Stew

Licky-Sticky Wings with Chilli Sauce

Roast Chicken with Irish Gremolata and Charred Pumpkin

10-hour Shoulder of Lamb with Crushed Chickpeas and the Best Sauce You’re Ever Likely to Taste

Chocolate Chilli con Carne with Coconut Yoghurt and Jazzy Onions

EXTRA VIRGIN TREATS

Goji Berry Smudge

Raw Cacao Nib Toffee

Fancy Pants Lúcuma Fudge

Lemon Whoopie Pies

Delinquent Brownies

Dark Peanut Butter Brownies

Italian and Rich

Sea Salt Probiotic Chocolates

Beetroot Candy

Fig and Prune Crumble with Ginger-laced Yoghurt and Date Syrup

Macadamia and Passionfruit Custard Pie

Lemon and Pistachio Pie with Orange Blossom Yoghurt

Maple and Pumpkin Panna Cotta

Hazelnut and Raisin Freezer Cookies

White Cacao Truffles

Pecan Pillows with Chocolate Puddles

Strawberry Shortbread

Pitch-dark Cacao Torte

Blackberry Tart with Almond Pastry

Potlets of Grapefruit, Lime and Ginger Custard

Chilli Chocolate Missile

‘I Can’t Believe It’s Beetroot’ Cake

Praline Cupcakes

Cinnamon and Pecan Malt Ice Cream

Iced Green Tea and Manuka Honey Cubes

Banana Toffee Ice Cream

Coffee Bean Ice Cream

Ice Pops

WHAT TO READ AND WHERE TO SHOP

THANK YOUS

PRAISE FOR THE EXTRA VIRGIN KITCHEN

COPYRIGHT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT GILL & MACMILLAN

Introduction:

FALLING DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

My name is Susan Jane. Picture MacGyver in an apron with a grumpy husband who thinks he’s a restaurant critic and two ravenous little punks to feed six times a day. Food is my thing, it keeps me happy. People say my energy levels would rival Graham Norton on acid. But I wasn’t always so bionic.

Thirteen years ago I was a model student. Literally. Modelling became a valuable source of income at college in Dublin, and later, at Oxford. It’s supposed to be a glamorous job, but when you see what models live on – cigarettes and diet cola – you have to wonder.

Back then, I never saw myself as someone who needed to change. I was hyper, stubborn and deluded – what could possibly go wrong? After all, there was nothing out of the ordinary about my diet: jam-filled scones, toast, pasta, breakfast cereals, toast, take-out sambos and more toast. Standard Irish fare. No wonder I tried to regulate my moods with criminal amounts of caffeine.

Let’s be honest: consumers are highly submissive. I hardly thought to ask any questions about the ingredients in my energy drink or the Monster Munch I devoured with the giddy determination of a clamper kneecapping a Bentley in the bus lane. I blindly trusted the ‘food authorities’, whoever they were, and I never imagined that beef burgers, for example, might contain horsemeat, that chicken products could test positive for pork or that our modern diet would lead millions into diabesity. Like Alice in Wonderland, I was jumping feet first into a deep, dark rabbit hole. Except this was no tea party.

First we form habits – and then they form us. It wasn’t alcohol or cigarettes that ruined my health, though I experimented as much as any student. It was food. To be more specific: junk food. I convinced myself that only boring people had time to cook. Turns out smarter people make time to cook.

One day in the summer of 2005 my body said no, enough. First came the shakes. Horrid urinary infections. Constipation. Mouth ulcers. Exhaustion. But nobody suggested that maybe I was contributing to my ill health. My digestive system wheezed like an asthmatic snail, yet diet apparently had nothing to do with it. Ten years ago the medical community dismissed the idea of food sensitivities like industry tycoons scoffing at global warming. Contemplating such an idea was daft. After all, test results had shown I was not coeliac or diabetic. Case closed.

The chronic conditions started to make themselves at home. Thrush. Earaches. Dizziness. Psoriasis. Headaches. Cold sores. But I didn’t have time to respect the symptoms and turned to self-medication. I had papers to submit and was hell bent on a place on Oxford Uni’s modern pentathlon team. There was literally no time to be sick.

I ended up in hospital, with tubes coming out of … well, everywhere. They sent in doctor after doctor. As the consultants handed me their cards, I noticed they had more and more letters after their names. Yet no one could figure out why my body was as limp as a wet lettuce. I was numb, physically and emotionally.

After twelve courses of antibiotics, several hospitalisations, a course of steroids, anti-fungal colon treatments and many futile vaccinations, I felt unlucky but in no way responsible. Then my white blood cells packed up.

One afternoon in hospital I got chatting to an elderly lady called Lucy in the cubicle next to me. I wasn’t certain why Lucy had been admitted. She was frail but so sweet in her papery mint gown, smiling back over the sheets. We talked for hours. I cried inside when she asked to hold my hand to give her strength. Lucy cooed about her love of bread making, yet she was coeliac (so her body could not handle gluten). I remember thinking how strange that was: ignoring the signals her system was sending.

Across the room, another patient was tucking into jelly and ice cream from the hospital canteen. She was being treated for ‘complications’ arising from diabetes and obesity. It was like death on a plate, and horribly ironic that the hospital staff were her accomplices. The sight sent a chill up my arms. Both women knew their poison but chose to ignore it. They were digging the way to their graves with their teeth.

A little later, I heard a loud flat bell. Doctors and nurses ran in and sectioned me off from Lucy. I never saw her adorable face again. No one did.

The following morning I looked in the mirror, and what I saw made me cry. I turned away from the mirror, and in that instant – a wrenching minute of pure self-knowledge, accompanied by a sort of grief for the person I was now saying goodbye to – I made the most important decision of my life: to take control of my health. Raising my head, I looked into that mirror once again. And I nodded.

Deal.

My nutritional pilgrimage started with a journey to Dr Joe Fitzgibbon, a doctor who specialises in food sensitivities and fatigue. I travelled six hours by train for every visit. Together we tackled the elimination diet, stripping my meals to very basic foods like meat, fish, pulses, beans and vegetables. Every couple of weeks I reintroduced specific foods to my diet to monitor symptoms, like a food detective. It felt like someone was sucking the illness out of my body.

That austere diet made me see the intimate connection between energy levels and the food we eat. Good food keeps you on your tippy toes. Poor food will have you on your knees. Wheat and sugar were lethal in my system, so I waved goodbye to bread, pasta, sugar and all manner of processed food. That was nine years ago.

The first three weeks off wheat, sugar and dairy were horrific. I don’t want you thinking I was running barefoot through fields of cornflowers, throwing my arms around trees in a state of orgasmic self-enlightenment. Nor did I ever choose to give up junk food. I had to. My body was falling apart. There was no other choice.

So I tramped around health food stores with a mixture of confusion and nervous elation, like an ornithologist sighting a new species of bird. All the time I was busy mourning for Diet Cola Girl. ‘Jaysus, I could buy a bottle of wine for the price of those berries.’ ‘I can’t afford that strange flour, it’s three times the price of normal white stuff!’

Eventually I realised there is nothing restrictive about this way of eating. It’s the opposite. Food intolerances are an opportunity to escape the shackles of processed food and the excesses of the Wheat-Sugar-Dairy merry-go-round. There are legions of grains, flours and funky beans to experiment with in place of boring pasta and bread, and healthy fats like walnut, coconut, sesame and hemp seed oils. Discovering this wealth of options was my second light bulb moment. My ‘restrictive’ diet was nothing of the sort. It was incredibly liberating.

By continuing to feed our bodies with one-dimensional foods made from white sugar, white flour and industrially produced chemicals, we condition our brains to accept crap. Breaking the habit is challenging, but once you experience the benefits of eating whole, unprocessed foods, you will never look back. Make no mistake, it’s a love affair like no other. But don’t just take my word for it. See for yourself.

Here are my favourite recipes. Don’t worry – I won’t threaten you with cabbage soup or Lycra tights. These recipes are less about denial and more about pleasure: banana malt ice cream, raw chocolate tortes, chestnut crêpes, and chia seed fishcakes with curried coconut. If you approach this book with a sense of adventure, I bet your palate will be tickled and your mojo will return. In time your weight will stabilise, you will sleep more soundly and hum louder. But there’s more! We now know that a healthy diet significantly reduces your risk of developing heart disease, many cancers and type 2 diabetes. If there was a pill promising the same, wouldn’t you want to take it? Whole food cooking isn’t a pill. It’s a ticket.

Of course, you don’t have to give up wheat, sugar and dairy to eat well, and slip-ups are a natural (and necessary) part of the journey. Everyone has different needs and different poisons. That’s what makes humans so damn charming. But whatever your reasons for exploring new and nourishing foods away from the circus of convenience, you are very welcome to the Extra Virgin Kitchen.

Let’s do this together.

NIFTY Q&As

Do I need any special equipment before I start?

Definitely – get yourself some tenacity and a sense of adventure. Fleetwood Mac’s Greatest Hits is also useful. Or Billie Holiday. Whatever tickles your serotonin.

Where do I buy all these weird things?

In good health food stores and specialist grocers. Most large supermarkets stock 80% of the ingredients listed, such as millet, quinoa, seaweed, tamari and even coconut water. Check out my sources at the back of the book for online ordering.

How come you use cups instead of grams?

Cups are friendlier and make it easier to visualise quantities. I think the metric system alienates people in the kitchen. It has a disempowering effect. Do you know what 65g of dates looks like? Or 325g of flour? The only time I use the weighing scales is when every tiny bit of ingredient is imperative (e.g. the Delinquent Brownies recipe, here).

You can pick up measuring cups in the baking aisle of most supermarkets or on Amazon for less than a fiver. Dean & DeLuca probably do frilly ones.

Why don’t you use gluten-free flour?

I struggle to see the point of swapping white flour for a ‘gluten-free’ version. It reminds me of when I used to drink decaf coffee, thinking I was being healthy. Gluten-free white flour is just as processed as its first cousin, the all-purpose white flour.

Admittedly, wholegrain flours are a little trickier to tame into happy biscuits and breads, but their nutritional profile makes them much more desirable. If you’ve met my husband, you’ll understand why I’m attracted to stubborn and contrary ingredients. I find them indecently exciting once you finally conquer them.

Are all your recipes gluten free as well as wheat free?

Not all, but most. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and some oats.

Why don’t you use spelt?

Spelt is wheat.

If this cookbook is wheat free, why does it feature lots of buckwheat recipes?

Despite its name, buckwheat is no relation to the cereal wheat. There’s no gluten in buckwheat either. How awesome is that?

Any pasta recipes?

No. But plenty of quinoa, which is far tastier. It’s like a new friend with superhuman powers. Pasta would blush in quinoa’s presence.

I live in the US. Ground almonds are the same as almond flour, right?

Almost. Both are healthy and come from almonds, but ground almonds give a heavier finish in baked goodies. Almond flour is much finer and easier to find in the US, but not so much in Europe.

Feel free to try almond flour in place of ground almonds whenever you see a recipe bound for the oven. However, almond flour will not work in any raw recipe, such as the Chia Bonbons, Hazelnut and Raisin Freezer Cookies or Fancy Pants Lúcuma Fudge.

Is margarine okay instead of butter?

Not in my opinion. Be sceptical of pseudo foods tailored to ‘reduce cholesterol’. Investigative journalist Felicity Lawrence warns that many manufacturers use the cheapest possible oils to make margarine and hide under the pretence of being ‘healthy’. Most of these oils must be processed or hydrogenated to extend their shelf life, but not your life. ‘Cholesterol free’ is a similarly deceptive marketing device among companies that use hydrogenated fats. So an ostensibly healthy product can do more harm to your cholesterol than good. Professor Walter Willet of Harvard Medical School slammed this as ‘the biggest food-processing disaster in US history’.

How about regular sunflower oil?

For taste reasons, you’re welcome to use whatever oil you fancy. However, as a cautious mummy of two growing boys I only use extra virgin, cold-pressed oils that have not been brutalised by processors or adulterated by manufacturers. When in doubt, leave it out.

Isn’t coconut oil fattening?

It is a fat, yes. But it’s a good fat. Our relationship with fat is perverse. We need it in order to manufacture brain cells and hormones (without which everyone would be suffering from depression). However, choose judiciously. There are good fats and bad fats. Extra virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil is a good fat.

The saturated fat in coconut is made up of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), the mere mention of which makes triathletes indecently excitable. These MCTs are metabolised quickly by the body and can be used as an alternative source of energy to carbohydrates. MCTs are also easier to break down than the longer chain triglycerides in olive, sunflower or canola oil. More importantly, coconut’s MCTs are composed of lauric and capric acids. These heroic anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agents are also present in mother’s milk to give her baba the best start in life.

Can I fry with olive oil?

Frying at a high temperature will denature almost any oil. It doesn’t matter if you use the best cold-pressed extra virgin oil money can buy. Heating, as opposed to warming, chemically disfigures oil and spoils many health benefits. Basically, you are creating unhealthy free radicals that are liable to fraternise with your arteries.

If you suffer from cholesterol or weight problems, it might be worth writing this on the inside of your kitchen cupboard to remind you!

We use coconut oil because of its high smoke point. This means it’s a more sturdy oil to cook with than, say, linseed or sunflower oil. When I’m gently sweating veg, I’m happy to use olive oil, as the heat never reaches a perilous point.

Ghee is clarified butter, which many lactose-intolerant cooks find they can eat without side effects. Just like butter, ghee is solid at room temperature and holds a higher smoke point than most oils. We always have some in our fridge.

I love agave and use it all the time. Is it good for me?

Let’s be clear – no sugar is healthy. Agave is touted as a low glycemic fructose syrup that does not require insulin to break it down. A health boon, right? But science is rarely that simple. Eating this page wouldn’t require insulin either. Hardly a reason to include it in our diet. It’s fair to say that agave is not a health food, but a useful food. This is an important differentiation. Evidence suggests that a diet rich in liquid fructose has a deleterious effect on the body. The addition of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), for example, has caused much controversy between health scientists and food manufacturers. While agave does not fall within the same category as HFCS, it is still classified as fructose.

Agave wouldn’t be my first choice of sweetener unless I was diabetic (and even still, moderation is critical). Try raw, unadulterated organic agave if possible. Other issues to consider include processing methods and added ingredients. Agave piracy dates back to 2008, when several supermarket brands of agave were found to be highly processed and contaminated with other forms of syrups. It’s hardly surprising that manufacturers want a slice of success when a new food enjoys such attention. This applies to all newfangled foods. Keep your antennae finely tuned and your gut on speaking terms with you! As with all sweeteners, no matter what you choose, moderation is key.

What’s so terrific about maple syrup anyway? Isn’t it just as bad for you as sugar?

No. Unless you plan to neck a pint of it. Maple syrup is a wonderfully wholesome natural sugar. But if you’re diabetic, it’s off limits.

Maple syrup is harvested naturally from maple trees and contains surprising amounts of iron and calcium. It’s one of the only sweeteners that helps alkalise the body – other sugars can be highly acidic to the system. Acidic systems have been shown to leach calcium from our bones, while alkaline systems actually enhance calcium absorption. This is useful information for those who suffer from arthritic or osteo conditions.

A pal in Québec, Canada, is struggling to find local maple syrup. Rumour has it the middle-class Chinese are buying up all of Canada’s stocks. This has consequences for us too, one of which is a rise in the price of this deliciously sticky nectar. Another is the surge of imposters on the market. To avoid being duped by ‘maple-flavoured’ syrup, always interrogate the labelling. It should have one ingredient: 100% pure Canadian maple syrup. Grade B is preferable.

What’s the story with brown rice syrup? Healthy or not?

Okay, so, no sugar is healthy. The key is to find one that works for you and use it moderately or sparingly.

Despite brown rice syrup being a fairly processed product, it has low levels of glucose (about 5%) and high levels of the more complex carbohydrate maltose (around 55%). This gives brown rice syrup an attractive glycemic load. Alicia Silverstone, author of The Kind Diet, totally digs it. As a result, Hollywood does too.

It’s made by fermenting the cooked grain with cultured enzymes to break down the carbohydrates. The liquid by-product is boiled to make a sweet, sticky syrup. Like all trendy products, there are good versions and seriously processed versions. It’s worth doing your own research. Sticking to organic seems sensible given the volume of agrichemicals used in rice production. There were issues with arsenic in the soil a few years back too.

What on earth is coconut sugar?

Coconut blossom sugar is a relatively new unrefined sugar on the Western market. Stunning stuff. Not as sweet as regular cane sugar, it offers a burnt toffee kick. It’s not heavily processed either. The sap of the coconut flower is dehydrated to form honeyed crystals. While coconut sugar can be classified as a palm sugar, it is not to be confused with regular palm sugar, which is produced differently and is no friend to the diabetic. Coconut sugar is thought to have a low glycemic value. Good news for hyperactive children, diabetics and bored sedentary workers.

But watch out! My cynical side predicts that adulterated forms will begin to appear on our shelves. Look for trusted brands and ask your local health food stockist for advice if you’re suspicious. Coconut sugar is pricey and will attract piracy. Them is the facts of life. Rapadura sugar is much more difficult to adulterate and is a very good sub for coconut sugar if glycemic load does not concern you.

If rapadura is a sugar, what’s it doing in this book?

You’ll notice that rapadura sugar features in just three recipes. I wanted to introduce readers to a range of healthier sugars in place of the nutritionally void white variety.

Rapadura is a unique extra-fine sugar made from dehydrating sugarcane juice. It is caramel in colour with a deep mineral taste to it. Find it online and in all good food stores. Pricey, but worth experiencing.

However, if your diet obliges you to stay off sugar, this would mean quarantining all forms of good and bad sugars, including rapadura, honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup and even fruit. My cookbook only manages to evict nasty white sugar from our kitchens.

I’m diabetic. Is this book for me?

Absolutely. However, it’s important to stick to your low GL principles. Wherever you see maple syrup, use raw agave or experiment with xylitol. Coconut sugar is apparently low GL, but at the time of going to print, there was insufficient independent research to corroborate this for me. I urge you to do your own research. Remember that dried fruit, date syrup, maple syrup, apple syrup and honey are all high on the glycemic index and therefore unsuitable. Stevia is an interesting and popular source of sweetness for many diabetics, but I don’t like the taste. Perhaps you will have better luck than me.

Can I use barley malt extract in place of maple syrup? It’s so much cheaper.

Sure. Although I haven’t tried barley malt in all my recipes, I can assure you it gives tremendous results in baking. Even raw chocolates work with barley malt. Just remember that it’s only half as sweet as honey and maple syrup. This syrup is made from fermenting and boiling barley, in a similar way to brown rice syrup. Some of the original nutrients found in barley are transferred to the nectar. While barley malt is not as sweet as maple syrup, it’s unusually malty and licky-sticky.

Barley malt is a complex sugar, meaning that it takes quite some time for it to be broken down by the body. Simple sugars, like white sugar or corn syrup, are absorbed immediately, resulting in blood sugar spikes and yo-yo moods. For evidence of this, spend 30 minutes at a children’s birthday party. It’s pretty mental.

Cutting out convenience food is difficult. How can I cope with cooking all the time?

With great music, the sort that makes your blood pelt around your body and electrifies your fingertips. Nothing is a chore when your favourite tunes massage your neurotransmitters. It’s key to cooking.

I also throw lots of suppers and treats into my freezer, ready to plunder on lazy days. Be selfish with your time – conquer many meals in one session, rather than cooking three times a day. With practice, you’ll motor through these recipes.

How do I know if I have a food intolerance?

If you’ve already bought this book, chances are something’s not agreeing with you. Find a registered dietician or doctor to do an elimination diet with you. I’m not a huge fan of allergy testing, simply because it didn’t bring any relief to me. For best results, become your own food detective (with the encouragement of and direction from a professional).

Why are soya and tofu controversial? I’m confused. Are they the same thing?

Tofu is made from the soya bean. You’re probably familiar with other soya bean products, such as soya milk, miso soup, soya sauce and tempeh. Milk is extracted from the soya bean and used to make soya curd, referred to as tofu. It’s not unlike cheese making. Made this way, tofu is supposedly replete with isoflavones, a big pal of calcium. Isoflavones have been found to assist in bone density as well as hormonal imbalances. So far, so good.

Once soya’s health benefits became clear outside of Japan, consumer demand rocketed. I think its explosive rise here in the West encouraged food companies to find cheaper ways of producing it. Consequently, soya’s reputation has been muddied with chemical isolation techniques, synthetic adulteration and genetic modification, all of which raise serious questions about the beneficial effects of the end product. That’s why soya is so controversial. The chemically altered soya is a whole different creature to the whole-bean soya associated with the Asian diet. Frustrating, isn’t it?

The only way you can tell the difference is to read the manufacturer’s label on food before you buy. I’ve been advised to avoid soya protein isolates. Up to 60% of packaged supermarket foods use this synthetically debased soya as a cheap bulking agent. So don’t be fooled into thinking soya is synonymous with health.

To tap into soya beans’ bone fide health benefits, my advice is to stick with organic, non-GM tofu and eat it no more than once a week. Even the Japanese don’t eat as much soya as we do. There are also ethical issues to consider. Animal feed is largely composed of soya, which drives demand for soya plantations. We are witnessing the destruction of hundreds of thousands of wildlife acres to satiate demand for soya production. In short, the world has gone bonkers for the stuff. If you can live without it, all the better.

Do you eat Quorn?

Nope, never. Cutting down on meat seems to be a much more sensible approach. Swapping one bad habit for another makes little sense.

Are these recipes suitable for children?

Definitely. Just leave out the salt, black pepper, garlic or tamari – and add these to your own plate. Good nutrition is the best health insurance you can offer your family.

YOUR KITCHEN’S ARTILLERY

HERE ARE YOUR NEW ALLIES IN THE KITCHEN, IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE.

Measuring cups

You’ll notice I measure in cups, handfuls and drizzles, which makes it easier to visualise quantities as you read the recipe and write your shopping list. I’ve always found grams and ounces alienating. It may as well be trigonometry to me. Like most tactile people, I function on a sort of visual mathematics.

Tenacity

Available deep down, often in the same aisle as drive and desperation.

Pestle and mortar

If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, find an Asian food store. You’ll pick up an excellent deal, save yourself a small fortune and instantly acquire bragging rights in the pub. A pestle and mortar propels you into an underground club of serious cooks. Think Jamie Oliver meets Thomas Keller. No good meal can be made without a bit of muscle action in the kitchen. I guess the bottom of a heavy saucepan would also work, but it might scare the bejaysus out of the neighbours.

Food processor

Mine’s a Magimix from my mother-in-law. The lady’s got style. I use it every day.

Hand-held or personal blender

Also referred to as a soup gun or whizzy thing, hand-held blenders give a much smoother finish than a food processor (unless you have a swanky Vitamix). Particularly important for hummus (see here). Pick one up for a tenner.

Heavy-based saucepan or large sauté pan

Heavy-based saucepans spread heat evenly, which helps prevent burning or ingredients ‘catching’ on the bottom of the pan and driving your patience batty. Le Creuset are the Bentleys of the kitchen. Look out for them during sale season or in discount stores like TK Maxx. The bigger, the better.

Oven thermometer

This is like a lie detector for ovens. Available online on Amazon and in kitchen stores.

Spiraliser

Mine is a Lurch, and it’s definitely love. Not essential to your kitchen, it’s more of a nerdy toy. Expect one to set you back about €40 or €50.

Tefal 8-in-1 Rice Cooker

To make perfectly fluffy quinoa, measure 2 cups of quinoa to level 2 in the basin. Season with a few turns of the sea salt and peppercorn mill. Press the ‘grains’ programme. The rice cooker will steam the grain and produce the most perfect quinoa you’re ever likely to taste.

For details on how to cook almost every brown rice on the market using this rice cooker, visit my blog at www.susanjanewhite.com.

Empty jam jars

To transport food into work with you.

Ideas for Breakfast

‘Keep your face to the sunshine, and you will never see the shadows.’

Helen Keller

The breakfast roll is dead. Who wants to hoover up chemically enhanced meat, bleached rolls and puddles of cholesterol?

We’ve designed this chapter for anyone who dreads the shrill of their alarm clock. Some recipes involve a little forward planning, but will ultimately gift you with more snoozage and go-go juice (the High-octane Banana Nutmeg Flapjacks, here, last all week in the fridge, for example).